


Stained Glass Souls

by cbuugdrama9



Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dancing, Dorks in Love, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Hatred, Survivor Guilt, Tags Are Hard, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:35:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27865466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cbuugdrama9/pseuds/cbuugdrama9
Summary: With jagged edges as a maskTo hide their trauma, current and passed,Our heroes never fit the mold—Yet they fit together, their stained-glass souls.~-~-~-~-A book of Escape the Night oneshots, for your entertainment.
Relationships: The Detective | Matthew Patrick & The Jet Setter | Rosanna Pansino, The Disco Dancer | Colleen Ballinger/The Hippie | JC Caylen, The Record Producer | Manny MUA & The Troublemaker | Nikita Dragun
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. Just You Wait

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, y’all!! It finally happened; I’m making a oneshot book.
> 
> Some of these might be multi-parted, and others will be the normal, one-and-done type beat. Please remember that the characters are different from their IRL counterparts, so I might write things that conflict with who the actors are— relationships, for example. If and when that happens, I urge you to remember the distinction.
> 
> I can’t wait to get to know you all, and I look forward to producing some content!
> 
> Without further ado...here’s the first oneshot!

“So, on this side of the box, there’s- there’s two.” Colleen reported, staring intently at a dancer-less box. They were looking for pink polka dots to unlock a briefcase to find a song...which sounded crazy, but that was how Jc’s life decided to go today.

“—and on the top! And on the top- look!” The disco-dancer quickly added, pointing to the new piece of information. Jc quickly whipped his head around to make sure no clowns overheard...and locked eyes with the head clown. She began to stalk over, and his heart rate quickened.

He couldn’t risk yelling over his friends to warn them, either. He’d have to craft a plan.

“What does that mean, though?” Joey obliviously asked Colleen.

“There’s six numbers; so, it goes—“ she began, before time abruptly ran out.

“Hey, what‘re you guys doin’?” The head clown asked, glaring suspiciously at the group. _Busted._

He didn’t even have a plan— he thought he had more time— how did she move that quick???

“We’re dancing!” Colleen and Teala quickly piped up, spontaneously busting into some graceful moves. Joey wiggled his shoulders as he walked past the head clown, and Nikita followed suit.

“I don’t think you are,” the head clown replied, her gaze steely and accusing, focused on Jc like a homing missile. If looks could kill, he’d be six feet under by now.

“Yeah, we are!” one of his friends tried lamely, voice slightly shaking. His friends were slowly turning to see what the clown was staring at.

Now _they_ were staring at him, too.

Jc had chosen his hippie persona because he’s normally calm under pressure and he loves everyone, but it was also supposed to be an escape; he always got so nervous in social situations.

His head spun. His palms were sweaty. His breathing quickened, quickened, couldn’t breathe _couldn’t breathe **couldn’t breathe.**_ The room started to spin— his heart pounded in his ears, beating like the bass in the DJ’s music.

...no.

He _couldn’t._

He can’t do this, can’t do this, nononono _nonono he was gonna die they were all gonna die he let them down and it would be his fault for being so stupid and having such weird issues stupidstupid **stupid—**_

His eyes met Colleen’s, and time paused for him.  A jolt of cold air seemed to fill his lungs, cool and refreshing. The lights grew less abrasive, and the world was becoming okay. He didn’t feel so stupid now.

The club became slow-motion, and she warmly smiled at him despite the fear that was plain in her eyes. She must’ve known what he was about to do. Somehow, she seemed to think he could do this.

Somehow, he began to believe her.

Time resumed as he gave a shaky smile back to the Disco Dancer. Jc snapped his gaze back to the head clown, putting on a grin powered only by Colleen’s encouragement as he climbed onto the box. “No, I’m dancing!”

He then began to dance.

If you put Mortimer’s gun to his head later and demanded to know what dance moves he did for those beginning seconds, he’d be forced to let you shoot him— things got hazy really fast. The brain protects itself in mysterious ways.

He didn’t know how to dance, really— he’d never chosen to learn. He hadn’t considered he’d ever need to know anything other than a box step.

So, he took the advice of that one Madonna song that he _definitely_ didn’t have memorized or anything; he let his body move to the music. 

Colleen was smiling at him with wide eyes and raised eyebrows, like she was surprised— like he was the brightest thing she’d ever seen.

He quickly shot a hand out to her in silent invitation, realizing that unlike him, _she_ might actually know what she’s doing. She must’ve chosen the role of Disco Dancer for a reason, right?

Her hand enclosed in his, and she let him pull her up.

“So, have you thought of your Clown-Name?” She joked quietly as they started to dance together, clearly trying to make Jc more comfortable. He threw his head back in a laugh as he carefully spun her. “I’m thinking of making mine Sparkles, since, well...” she gestured with her free hand to her shining outfit.

“Since you have a _sparkling_ personality?” He quipped back, letting an arm wrap around her waist as she draped one of her own around his neck. It was Colleen’s turn to laugh now, and time stopped again.

He wished it would never restart. Seeing her here with him, so joyful and wonderful, she lit his heart like a disco ball. She was beautiful, right down to her soul.

The world crawled back into motion, expanding out to include the music once more.

“What if my clown name is just Jclown or something? That works, right?”

“I was gonna suggest Buttons, actually.”

The tension was long gone from his shoulders at this point as they danced— Colleen was an amazing teacher, Jc was learning.

“Oh, really?” He asked, smirking as he saw the mischief twinkling in her eyes like stars. “And why is that?”

She spun herself out and wound herself back in, cradled in his arms. Their gazes locked.

“Because you’re cute as a button when you get this flustered.”

She pressed a cheeky peck to the corner of his mouth before spinning back out.

A dopey smile crossed his face. “Buttons it is.”

She cackled in triumph, letting him dip her.

When they came up, it occurred to them that they should probably make sure their friends were okay. As they glanced around the room, they saw the head clown was far away and focused on something else entirely— their friends, however, were watching with varied expressions.

Teala looked so ecstatic that she seemed almost at risk of fainting; Joey was watching with a mischievous grin, raising his eyebrows up and down suggestively; and Nikita just huffed and rolled her eyes when she saw them looking, even as the corner of her mouth ticked up in a smirk.

Jc reluctantly climbed down off the box— he then helped Colleen into his arms and back to the ground.

She squeezed his hand, smiling up at him with a softness that made his breath hitch. His gaze flicked to her lips involuntarily, and a small smile graced her face.

“Later,” she murmured to him, a promise in her gentle gaze. “Once we get that song. Think you can do it, Buttons?”

His heart began to pound again.

If _that_ was what it took, the clowns needed to get out of his way. He was going to ace this puzzle in no time at all.

“Just you wait, Sparkles.”


	2. Run, Baby, Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can escape the night, but never your past.  
> ~-~-~-~-~-~-  
> A few not-so-friendly faces remind the remaining three guests of everything they want to forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based off of an idea I had while watching S3— what if the zombies weren’t random townspeople? What if it was that season’s fallen guests?

Things couldn’t ever be _normal_ in Everlock, _could_ they. This town kept swinging at them with a new type of bat every hour— the remaining guests really shouldn’t have been surprised anymore.

They’d expected to see their fallen friends again one day in the very far future when they inevitably died, natural causes or otherwise. It seemed they didn’t have to wait that long; the nine zombies in front of them proved that.

...Wait, _nine?_

Matt counted the zombies again. Nine zombies. No; that couldn’t be right. Something was wrong.

One guest was missing.

Everyone else was here; even Mortimer and Calliope. There were nine zombies before them, and Matt's favorite person in the world was absent. He didn't know whether he was disappointed or relieved.

Then, he saw her.

Somewhat hiding behind Manny and Jc stood Rosanna, her green coat morphing into a brownish-red with her blood. Knives poked out of her haphazardly, crooked and lightly bobbing in the breeze. Despite all the horrors this town had warped her into, though, it was _her._ As her lit face up with a blinding smile when her eyes met Matt's, both of them fighting back tears of joy, she'd never seemed more beautiful to him.

"...Matt?" she rasped in a soft tone, as if disbelieving. Her vocal cords were already starting to go, and her voice sounded pretty husky from disuse as the proof, but it sounded like little ringing bells to the Detective. He felt his heart soar— he wanted to take his best friend dancing, he found himself thinking. He wanted to spin her before an arena of people and hear her laugh fill the world with light.

He ran to her, clutching her to his chest in a tight embrace. She let out a little noise of discomfort as his body touched a knife deeper into her flesh, and he jumped back. Her hands found his and squeezed tight. "I love you, Ro."

She smiled, pulling her hands away gently. "Do you like my new jewelry?" She asked with a laugh, doing a small turn and cute pose. Matt couldn't help but laugh with her, his pure joy bursting from his chest.

...Then he realized all the zombie guests were watching them, as if waiting.

Ro's eyes widened, looking strangely fearful— Matt heard her whimper something he couldn’t make out. Her eyes slowly began to cloud over.

"Do you?" She asked quietly, grabbing one of his hands in a forceful manner and putting it around her neck.

"...Ro?"

Her smile suddenly grew big, but _not_ in her normal way. This one stretched her skin in a way that looked demented, painful, psychotic. Matt knew instantly that something was wrong, that this was _not_ Rosanna...but it was too late.

"Because _I_ think they'd look better on _**you."**_ She jerked her body, keeping his hand firmly on her neck with a vice-like grip— the force threw Matt to the ground.

Nikita barely managed to pull Matt out of the way as Ro brought a knife down. It would've skewered his brain without the Troublemaker's interference.

"What did you do with Ro?" He asked this imposter, this  _ husk. _ She grinned back with a slasher smile.

"What did  _ you _ do, Matthew Patrick? You left me to die. You abandoned me." her face morphed into something that shattered his heart. He knew that look. She'd worn it when one of her dogs died, and when she went through bad breakups, and on the hard days when she could barely go on. He'd comforted her through them all...but now, her words were showing him what she'd felt when she was sacrificed. Every word a dagger in his heart. Every dagger hitting its target.

"I'm so lonely, so alone. You left me alone. All I want is to be near you again, for us to go back to the way it was before. Don’t you want to join me here so I’m not alone anymore?" she whimpered, taking a small step forward. Despite himself, Matt tried to go to her— Nikita and Joey had to hold him back.

"She's using you, Matt; this isn't even her." Nikita urgently told him, her glare barely hiding her worry and heartbreak.

"Like you used me?" Manny asked, stepping up next to Rosanna. "Is Rosanna using Matt the way you used me as a tool to get to the end? Was our friendship ever  _ real _ to you, Nikita? Ride-or-die does not mean trying to kill your only friend  **_twice."_ **

Nikita took one long look at Manny before shaking her head, feeling the guilt and anger building. "I may hate myself that much, but Manny doesn't have that much hate for  _ anyone _ . You think you hate me more than  _ I _ hate me, bitch?"

"Both of you, come on; we have to go!" Joey said, trying to break the spell that seemed to be seeping into Nikita. The spell that had overtaken Matt.

"Oh, how original. Brushing off pain and death like it's shit on your shoe. It's not like you've done that over and over again tonight." Colleen snarked, moving to flank Rosanna on the other side. "Joey, you're a monster, and that's coming from a  _ gotdamn  _ **_zombie._ ** We got to see the contract, you know. The one where you agreed to kill  **_all of us_ ** for a second chance at life, like anyone would want you after this?"

Joey fought to keep his face neutral. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Matt, you said yourself there's no justice here— Joey plans to kill you both anyway!" Ro pleaded, lip quivering.

"Bitch, you killed me for  _ nothing. _ Even if you've survived so far, can you really live with yourself?" Manny remarked, glaring at Nikita like one stare could convert her to the dark side.

"How does it feel to be helpless, Joey?" Colleen asked with an expression of rage so pure, so unadulterated and ruthless that it came out as a sharp, sarcastic form of perkiness.

That was when the survivors saw they were surrounded.

"When Manny was shot in the chest while struggling in his straightjacket; when Ro was held down and abandoned while stabbed mercilessly; when you shoved me in an iron maiden as I cried and screamed...we felt helpless. Now it's your turn. So riddle me this, Joey—  **_can you feel it?”_ **

The zombies took a step closer. The wall of guilt and decay the remaining guests had caused mere hours ago was inching towards them, like soldiers following the drumbeat of the survivors' hearts. They'd all pictured zombies as lifeless husks that wanted brains and didn't know any other words.

_ This? _ This was  **_so much worse._ **

In a moment of complete desperation, Nikita whipped off one of her heels and hurled it at Ro with every ounce of strength she had.

The second it made impact, Ro stumbled and hit her knees. "There's our opening. Run, now!" Nikita barked, throwing her other shoe at Roi, who'd attempted to jump her. His feet slipped out from under him when the shoe collided with him— Roi pitched forward and fell on his face, skidding across the hard earth.

The survivors made their move.

In the split second that the zombies were distracted, the guests ran as fast as they could from the cruel remnants of the past that seemed to know their every thought. The sound of thudding footsteps began to pick up from behind them, and Matt hurriedly scooped Nikita up in his arms— "you threw your shoes, the zombies aren’t slowing down, and Joey has twig-arms,” being his speedy explanation.

A building was in sight, now. They had a temporary escape; but as they heard their deepest insecurities being exposed and attacked with every step, they knew.

You can escape the night, but never your past.


End file.
